This application claims the priority of German patent document 19923737.9, filed May 22, 1999, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a multisectional front section for a shell body of a motor vehicle and especially a passenger motor vehicle.
The front section of the shell body of a passenger motor vehicle separates the passenger compartment from the front area of the body, in which the steering system and usually also the engine of the motor vehicle is housed. The front section is essentially arranged in the shell body vertically to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The front section is interspersed with various other prefabricated parts such as the steering column and ventilation ducts and for this reason is equipped with corresponding cutouts. Two pot-shaped indentations in the front form the leg room for passengers seated in the front of the motor vehicle. Front sections are usually manufactured as unitary pieces from a panel of sheet metal in a multi-stage high-tensile method and are reinforced in some spots by welding on additional sections of sheet metal.
Especially in the startup phase of the production of a motor vehicle, one sometimes finds that the non-tolerable imprecise fit necessitates a change in the dimensions of certain shell parts. If the front section is involved in such a change of dimensions, new high-tensile tools for the production of the front section are required. This results in considerable direct, as well as indirect expenses, since the manufacture of the high-tensile tools takes some time and therefore causes quite considerable delays in the beginning of the mass production of the motor vehicle.
A multisectional front consisting of an upper and a lower part is known from patent DE 37 20 847 C2 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,082), in which the lower part forms the upper shell of a fork bearer in one of the embodiments. The upper and lower parts are attached to one another via connecting flanges, which can be shifted along planes running parallel to the floor of the motor vehicle. Both parts are manufactured from a high-tensile symmetrical pot, which is separated along a plane of symmetry. Afterwards, the separate pot parts are each swung around a vertical axis by 90xc2x0 and welded together to the upper and lower parts. Because it is made up of several parts, the front can consist of sheet metal of varying thickness, which allows for a reduction of weight, while taking into consideration the non-homogeneous spatial distribution of the force acting on the vehicle in the case of an impact. If, as mentioned above, a change in the dimensions of the front becomes necessary, only one of the two parts in the set of high-tensile tools must be replaced.
The task of the present invention is to further improve this type of motor vehicle front section, especially as regards the costs resulting from an additional change in the dimensions of the front section.
The present invention solves this task by providing a front section of a motor vehicle shell body, wherein at least two neighboring parts of the front section arranged in a vehicle""s horizontal axis are attached to one another via connecting flanges, which can essentially be shifted perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle. In this front section, at least two neighboring parts of the front section arranged along the vehicle""s horizontal axis are attached to one another via connecting flanges, which can essentially be moved vertically to the vehicle""s longitudinal axis. This constructive design allows neighboring parts of the front section to be shifted relative to one other along a horizontal axis in order to compensate for an imprecise fit. Therefore, it is often not necessary to manufacture new high-tensile tools if there is a change in dimensions. Instead, the parts of the front section produced with the existing tools are simply arranged somewhat differently than originally planned and welded together.
Especially if the front section is composed of more than two such front section parts, there are additional advantages in terms of production engineering. For example, the individual front section parts can be manufactured in significantly fewer tensile steps, since the individual parts are less spatially complex in comparison to a one or two-piece front section.
In order to allow for the parts to be shifted along the vehicle""s horizontal axis, in accordance with certain preferred embodiments of the invention, the at least two neighboring parts arranged along the vehicle""s horizontal axis can be connected to at least one neighboring front section part arranged along the vehicle""s vertical axis via connecting flanges, which can essentially be shifted vertically in relation to the vehicle""s horizontal axis. Alternatively, in accordance with certain preferred embodiments of the invention, they can also be arranged to move essentially vertically to the vehicle""s vertical axis. Which of the two variations is to be preferred essentially depends on whether any additional changes in dimensions are expected to be made along the vehicle""s vertical or longitudinal axis.
In certain preferred embodiments of the invention, the front section parts neighboring the A-column of the shell body are connected to this A-column via connecting flanges, which can essentially be shifted vertically in relation to the vehicle""s horizontal axis. This allows for movement not only along the vehicle""s longitudinal direction, but along the vehicle""s vertical axis as well.
In certain preferred embodiments of the invention, the front section parts and the neighboring windshield transverse of the shell body are connected to one another via connecting flanges, which can essentially be moved along the vehicle""s vertical axis. This arrangement of the connecting flanges allows for movement relative to the windshield transverse as well as along the vehicle""s longitudinal and horizontal axes.
In certain preferred embodiments of the invention, front section parts and a neighboring windshield transverse of the shell body are connected to one another via connecting flanges, which can essentially be moved vertically along the vehicle""s vertical axis. This arrangement of the connecting flanges allows for movement relative to the windshield transverse along the vehicle""s longitudinal and horizontal axes.
In certain preferred embodiments of the invention, a front section part and a neighboring vehicle floor of the shell body are connected to one another via connecting flanges, which can essentially be shifted vertically along the vehicle""s vertical axis. This arrangement of the connecting flanges allows for movement relative to the vehicle floor along the vehicle""s longitudinal and horizontal axes.
In certain preferred embodiments of the invention, front section parts and a neighboring longitudinal load bearing member of the vehicle""s shell body are connected to one another via connecting flanges, which can essentially be shifted vertically along the vehicle""s longitudinal axis. This arrangement of the connecting flanges allows for movement relative to the longitudinal load bearing member of the vehicle""s shell body along the vehicle""s horizontal and vertical axes.
In certain preferred embodiments of the invention, front section parts and a neighboring steering wheel connection of the shell body are connected to one another via connecting flanges, which can essentially be moved vertically along the vehicle""s vertical axis. This arrangement of the connecting flanges allows for movement relative to the steering wheel connection along the vehicle""s longitudinal and horizontal axes.
In certain preferred embodiments of the invention, in its assembled state the front section includes an upper section, a middle section and a lower section, in which the upper section is composed of a left and a right upper section and the middle section is composed of a left, a middle and a right midsection.
As it turns out, such a division of the front section is an especially favorable compromise between creating versatile possibilities of balancing several front section parts on the one hand, and an overall reduction in the number of prefabricated parts on the other.
In certain preferred embodiments of the invention, the at least two front section parts are made of different thickness of sheet metal. The thickness of the individual front section parts can be optimally adjusted to the various forces that the individual areas of the front section will have to withstand. This allows for a significant reduction in weight. In addition, the welding on of reinforcement sheet metal can at least partially be eliminated.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.